Playing With Food

Breaking rules is fun especially when you’re a cook. I disobey my mother; I play with my food. Then again, a good majority of cooking is toying with your food, no? Manipulating flavors to hit all the right taste bud receptors is what cooking is about, especially the aftereffect expression of satisfaction. To me, hearing a “mmm”, or in the case of my home seeing licked clean plates, presents me with a wave of content especially since I experiment a lot with flavors - and I mean a lot.

Here, in Virginia, it is hard to get “nouvelle” or haute cuisine flavors across because folk in Virginia are traditionalists, I think. That, however, comes with the region and sets apart rural individuals with city dwellers. In the city, people are like hummingbirds, always racing, quick, and fast. In the country, people are like armadillos who are for the majority laid back but can move when they want or need to. The standard cuisine here, I’ve noticed instantaneously, is boiled or buttered vegetables, boiled or barbequed meats, mashed or boiled potatoes, and uh lots of heavy salads.

My new favorite place to eat is, ironically enough and in spite of the slew of risks (yet to be cced), the Golden Corral because they have vegetables simply boiled or sautéed in oil or broth; its good. Sometimes, I just want a huge plate of simply dressed vegetables and I’m a happy kitten. Then, there are times when my palette craves for a little more complexity in the flavors and that’s when I throw my creativity to the wind and create something. This action usually gives my father in law’s mouth a culture shock because he’s probably eaten more flavors ever since I moved in than he has in his life. The other night I made a simple stir-fry with Moroccan spices and he devoured it. So, again, sometimes change is good and I have to be thankful that my beloved is a very open minded person when it comes to his stomach and taste buds. He always wants to taste, experiment, and try.

Granted, there are things he’s tasted and told me he didn’t like it but he doesn’t have to. Not everyone in the world shares the same opinion about one item. Take mash potatoes for example. Do you know how many ways there are in making mash potatoes? Not one is similar, not one everyone likes, and some people can probably do without mash potatoes ,period. Cooking, as I said, is all about experimentation and adventure.

You never know until you try, which brings me to the recipe. This was the second time I’ve tasted edamame, first time in a “non-traditional” manner. The traditional preparation of edamame is simply boiling pods with salt and eating them out of the shell. When I went to Whole Foods last, I purchased a bag of shelled edamame to play with. This was my creation and every bite had my mouth salivating for the next. The cauliflower was crisp, the mushrooms were juicy, the anchovies were salty, and the edamame was just good.

So for all you parents out there, the next time your child “plays” with their food in a not-so-messy manner, let them. Encourage them mash their peas into their potatoes or dip their chicken fingers into their applesauce. You never know what habits, what little chefs, or culinary inspirations you can start by letting children experiment with flavors.

Sauteed Edamame, Cauliflower, & Mushrooms
With anchovies, garlic, and capers
½ cup shelled edamame
1 cup cauliflower
½ cup mushrooms
½ tin of anchovies
1 tbsp capers
1/3 cup stock
Garlic
Red pepper flakes

Spray a pan with nonstick cooking spray. Sautee the cauliflower until soft. Add the crushed garlic and edamame, sautéing until the edamame soften and the cauliflower begins to brown. Add the mushrooms and a little broth to deglaze.

Add the anchovies and sauté until they begin to breakdown. Add the basil and red pepper flakes then turn off the heat. Add the capers and toss until thoroughly mixed then plate.

Serve this as a main course or a side dish. If you're allergic to soy, please feel free to substitute the edamame with fava beans or butter beans. I'm most certain it would be equally delicious.